KNOW BEFORE YOU BEGIN: unless you have very broad shoulders just like those of the model, the neckline of this sweater, as written in the pattern will not look like the photos or the diagram (which is not to scale or proportion in terms of the neckline). Take the time to look at the project pages of other knitters to find someone with a figure similar to your own and look at their project photos to get a real idea of how the sweater will look. That said, it is still a pretty sweater–with modificaitons.
My gauge was spot on to the pattern, but as soon as I moved past the bust I could see immediately that I would have to do some waist shaping unless I wanted it to look like a potato sack.
One might think, just make one size smaller for negative ease. I would answer, the bust is already snug (I have a 37.5” bust and I followed the directions for size 36”), had I made the 34” I couldn’t have worn the sweater. This was designed for the figure in the picture: slender with broad shoulders and a ‘modest’ bust. If you don’t have that figure, and you want something that looks like the photo, you’ll have to do some modifications.
I was hoping that the weight of the sleeves would help with the neckline, but no such luck. I’m not totally dissapointed with the pattern, it’s well written and easy to follow. I do wish that, along with all of the other detailed instructions, there had been something about how to pick up stitches under the arms when knitting a raglan sleeve in the round in a way that avoids gaps. I worked through that a few times before I was more or less satisfied with the result.